The Truth About Happiness
by amandee
Summary: Naruto is perpetually smiling, he is determined to make his classmate, Sasuke, smile too. High school based, AU, SasuNaru


AN: So. A new story, and I know I'm going to need a kick in the butt.

Disclaimer: Naruto is not, nor ever will be, mine.

Pairing: Sasuke and Naruto or some semblance of.

Rating: a mere G (smiley) for now. 

The Truth About Happiness

Part One: Acquaintances Meet and Part and Meet Again

Ahh, a day in the life of Uzumaki Naruto. It wasn't always easy, and it always fun, or happy for that matter, but it was bound to be full of surprises. Uzumaki (He insisted everyone call him Naruto) was a somewhat popular boy. He blended into the mediocre stream of high school teenagers with bright blonde hair, blue eyes and a vibrant personality. He wasn't overly quiet and no one could call him a genius but he had friends. Friends that he cared about and that cared about him back. He lead a somewhat lonely life but loved it none the less.

No one could call Naruto unhappy. Above all, he was an optimist. He felt the burning need to see the positive side of everything. From a bad grade, to falling down the stairs or out of the bed. Uzumaki Naruto never woke up on the wrong side of the bed. He was always loud and boisterous and full of vigor.

Unless, of course, you got on his bad side. You see, Uzumaki Naruto was quite a competitive person - although lacking in skill with most areas. No one could say he didn't try, however. Naruto was... well, he was somewhat of a team mascot. His happiness was usually contagious and he had never failed to make people around him smile - even those that were perpetually sad.

Until he met one Uchiha Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke who, by all means, may not have been able to smile due to his face unceasingly scowling. Uchiha Sasuke whom most girls looked at with stars in their eyes and butterflies in their stomachs. Uchiha Sasuke who shot down every one without reason, who sat in the library unaccompanied at lunch, who got straight A's, had no friends and was always at home on a Friday night. Uchiha Sasuke who moved to Konoha in grade eleven, at the not-so-tender age of sixteen. Uchiha Sasuke who almost never spoke a word except to say no, but was surprisingly polite. Arrogant, beautiful, a heart throb by all means, and completely (utterly) alone.

---

The thump of a body hitting the floor reverberated throughout the house like an elephant who just saw a mouse. A groan and the lump of covers shifted to reveal a very disgruntled blond.

Getting up on the wrong side of the bed was just a _metaphor_, it just so happens.

With the unceremonious wake-up call, Naruto was, unfortunately, awake. He struggled to free himself of the warm, soft covers that had encased him all night and sighed as he patted them down around him.

'_My floor gets pretty cold at night,'_ he thought mindlessly.

Getting to his feet and padding softly into the adjoining bathroom he did his daily ritual. Turn shower on, go pee, strip, get into shower, sigh happily, scrub, scrub, scrub some more, towel, and get out of the shower to remember that he hadn't put down the bath mat. He toweled himself off this particular morning before walking into his bedroom stark naked and smiling before putting on his lovely school uniform (courtesy of the Konoha Private Education School Board) of navy slacks, a white short sleeve dress shirt and a cute little navy blue tie. He ate a quick breakfast in his homey (so it's a little messy) kitchen before putting on his matching school blazer and leaving his cozy apartment. Not before, of course, putting some flakes of food in the aquarium lining the wall. Naruto made fish faces as he dropped the green-brown flakes in and smile as he closed the door.

---

Naruto hummed on his quiet walk to school. He went to his locker once he got inside, deposited his shockingly empty backpack and went to find a few of his friends. He found them by another group of lockers in an adjoining hallway. "Hey guys!" the blonde smiled as he approached the group, they turned and greeted him. "Hey Naruto, you're looking... like you." Naruto smiled at his friend, a boy with a wolfish face and shaggy brown hair, "Yeah, and look what the dog dragged in." The boy who made the former comment growled, "Aw, come on Kiba, I was joking!" Inuzuka Kiba was a boy who loved his doggy friends. And Naruto liked to exploit that fact.

"Did you guys finish your Chem homework?" Temari, a tall, blonde girl with more bark in her than bite asked the group pleadingly, she was pulling out a binder as she spoke. Naruto nodded his head, as did a few more in the group. Hyuuga Hinata, a shy girl who was quite studious and smart handed Temari her notes, "What did you have trouble with Temari?" she asked quietly. The group of friends always helped each other study. If any of them got bad grades it most likely affected all of them - of course group hangouts weren't as much fun if one of them was missing. "Oh just... I didn't know what I was supposed to do with the benzene when it was a..."

Naruto blinked and scratched his head; he had done the Chem homework without much trouble, and Hinata looked like she had Temari covered so instead he turned to the other boys and a few girls who also seemed uninterested.

Kiba was scratching his ear and letting out little yipping sounds - Naruto wondered if he could get any more dog like.

Nara Shikamaru was leaning against a locker, hands hanging down his side, brown hair piled atop his head, and his eyes at half mast - he looked as if he wanted to be sleeping. Naruto smiled and prodded the other boy, wondering if he would fall over.

Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino were chattering together, their heads nodded towards each other, hands joined in the middle of them and sharing large, knowing smiles. Those girls were always together, and always up to something. Sakura was suitably annoying, she had a high pitched voice and a tendency to over-react, but Ino usually calmed her down, the more logical, conscientious one of the two.

"Naruto?" The blonde shook his head and focused on who was talking to him, Hyuuga Neji, a quiet, genius boy who had an intolerance for idiocy. He was captain of the baseball team, and a good guy, although he could come off brash at moments. "Ahh, yeah, Neji?" Naruto smiled placatingly at his friend, appeasing him for not paying attention in the first place, too caught up in the wandering of his thoughts. "Are you going to show up to the game after school? We could really use your support." Naruto smiled and nodded; he was somewhat of a mascot. He would go out to most of the extra-curricular sports decked out in a cute little 'Devils' (the school's mascot) gear - pointy red ears, a red shirt, red shorts, and a devils tail and help the team out. Be a water boy, a cheer coach, get the crowd riled up. He had started doing this after he had realized that maybe his lack of skill when it came to some sports shouldn't hold him back from joining in the festivities.

"Yeah, I'll be there, who is the game against?" Neji looked down for a moment, trying to remember, "Sand I think, but I'm not positive." Temari interjected, pointing a finger at the ceiling, "It's Sand, Gaara told me this morning." Neji nodded and looked back at Naruto, who smiled. Sand was always a fun team to play - Gaara was Temari's older brother and would be attending Konoha after this semester came to an end. He had grown close to them and their group of friends and had decided to switch schools seeing as he felt no need to be tied to Sand anymore.

"Yeah. I'll go, I'll have to boo Gaara's team one last time this year." The bell rang, interrupting whatever the group was going to say in response. They said their final, parting goodbyes before splitting up and going to their various classrooms.

---

Wandering into the room slightly later than everyone else was Sasuke, he had a dazed look on his face, his books held loosely in him arms and his eyelids drooping. He took his seat quietly, set his book upon his desk before leaning he head on them and closing his eyes. His breathing evened out and Naruto, currently sitting beside him, sent a stare his way. It was abnormal for the Uchiha to be anything but painfully attentive during class. The boy made it very clear the only reason why he came to school was to _learn_, not for friends or anything otherwise.

Naruto quickly scribbled something on a ripped off corner of his notebook paper, balled it up and sent it flying to the seemingly sleeping boy.

'R U OK?' was what greeted Sasuke when he grunted and opened his eyes to read the small object that made him wake up. He sent a glare to Naruto before looking back down at the note. He searched through his pencil case and came up with a pen, he made a few scribbles before sending the note back to the not-so-patiently waiting blonde.

'Are you okay?' The 'R' and 'U' and 'OK' were all scratched out and replaced with the proper spelling, underneath that was written in the dark-haired boys studiously neat script was 'I'm fine, dead last, no need to worry your precious little head.' He flipped the note back unceremoniously and laid his head back down. Naruto gave a quick scan over the small slip of paper before sending another worried glance at his classmate.

Sasuke and Naruto were, by no means, friends. They were... acquaintances. Sasuke usually called Naruto names and Naruto usually smiled and patted Sasuke on the back. They knew each others names, had a few of the same classes, but that was about it. They knew nothing of each others lives, nothing of their pasts, their friends, their habits.

Acquaintances.

But Sasuke had never come to class looking tired, had never glanced over at Naruto, a tick in his eyebrow and his scowl wavering, had never had someone ask him if he was all right, ask him what was wrong, had never had someone...

---

Naruto and Sasuke and the rest of Naruto's friends (as the dark haired brooding boy had none) went through their day quite normally. Naruto showed up to the game after school, booed Gaara's team, hugged all the bouncing, giddy cheerleaders, and helped the rest of the baseball players dog pile each other when they won the game. Sasuke went home, clicked on the TV, finished his English, Chemistry and Sociology homework before getting something to eat and sitting down with a book. By eight thirty he was out like a light and snoring on the couch, TV still lighting up his darkened room.

---

When Naruto lay in his bed that night, homework barely touched, stomach full and spirit sated, he looked back on his day like he did nearly every night. Examining the good and bad parts alike, full of smiles and laughter. He recounted his weird encounter with one Uchiha Sasuke in class that day, the tired look the boy wore across his pale face and his neat writing on the note he still had in his backpack.

Naruto made the decision to ask Sasuke tomorrow maybe how he was feeling.

--

AN: First chapter. I'm going to try and update semi-frequently, and I'm going to try and make my chapters a little bit longer. If you like it please review! I appreciate every response (smiley).


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